Bangladesh: Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina gets 10 years jail term in Purbachal plot scam

DHAKA: A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years’ imprisonment in connection with a corruption case linked to the Purbachal plot scam, while her niece and British Member of Parliament, Tulip Siddiq was given a four-year jail term, according to local media reports.

According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), public prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam, Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 judge Md. Rabiul Alam delivered the judgment on Monday afternoon.

The court also sentenced Hasina’s nephew, Radwan Mujib Siddiq and another niece, Azmina Siddiq, to seven years imprisonment each, in one of the two cases.

Alongside Hasina and her three family members, 12 other accused were handed 10 years’ jail terms, while another was sentenced to two years in jail in the two cases. Additionally, five others received five-year prison terms in one of the cases, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported.

Reports suggest that the court also imposed fines of Bangladeshi taka one lakh each on 22 accused, including Hasina, with an additional six months imprisonment in case of default.

Earlier on December 1, 2025, a Dhaka court sentenced Hasina to five years in prison over irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Purbachal project, local media reported.

Additionally, Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, was handed a seven-year sentence, while her niece, Tulip Siddiq, received two years' imprisonment.

In the same case, on November 27 last year, the Dhaka court sentenced Hasina to 21 years of imprisonment in three corruption cases filed by the ACC.

Following the verdict, Hasina and her family members rejected the corruption charges against them, calling the claims "malicious, politically motivated and without any proper foundation".